Warrick wins City Council seat
By Barbara Arntsen
Published in News on March 24, 2004 2:15 PM
Goldsboro's District 6 voters have chosen Jackie Warrick as their new city councilman.
Warrick won with a total of 600 votes, 99 more than challenger Danny Roseborough, in the runoff election, according to unofficial election results. He will replace Councilman Delmus Bridgers.
News-Argus/Dennis Hill
Danny Roseborough, right, congratulates Jackie Warrick on Tuesday night after Warrick defeated Roseborough for the District 6 seat on the Goldsboro City Council. Council member Chuck Allen, center, looks on.
"I'm glad it's over with," said Warrick, "and I'm honored to represent the people of District 6."
He thanked his family and his supporters.
Roseborough was outside the elections office Tuesday talking with a friend when the final results were announced. He immediately went inside to congratulate Warrick.
"Everything we did was to make sure the selection was by the people of District 6 and not by some uncertain circumstance," said Rosebor-ough, whose protests of the previous election results had led to the runoff. "The people have voted for their representation, and I congratulate Jackie. This process has ended."
Supporters gathered quietly in the elections office waiting for the results of Tuesday's election. Because the race was only for one district, the results were available within a half-hour after the polls closed.
Twenty-seven percent of the registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday's rematch election. Twenty-one percent voted in the November election.
Warrick garnered 54 percent of the vote; Roseborough had 46 percent.
The Elections Board will certify the results at its canvass on March 30. Warrick will be sworn in as a new councilman at the City Council meeting following the canvass.
The election ends a lengthy battle over results from two City Council races.
Last November Roseborough was originally declared the winner by a slim margin in the District 6 race. A recount was conducted by the county Elections Board, and Warrick won by a few votes. Roseborough contested the decision because he believed the Elections Board's decision to hold a recount and the ensuing recount process were flawed.
The State Board of Elections agreed with Roseborough's contention, and after a two-day hearing in December, it ordered a new election for District 6.
Former Councilman J.B. Rhodes was also originally declared the winner for the District 1 race, but lost by one vote to Councilman Jimmy Bryan after the recount.
The county Elections Board ordered the recount, because on election night, some precinct officials double-counted ballots in the center bin, forgetting that the machines had already counted everything except the write-in votes.
Rhodes appealed the outcome, but lost his appeal.